


LOVE IT IF WE MADE IT

by phonemicengineer



Series: Love It If We Made It (Poly Starblaster) [1]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Consent is sexy folks, Implied Sexual Content, Lucretia support squad, Multi, Polyamory, but it's fine they get better, extensive discussions about sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-02-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:35:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22610353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phonemicengineer/pseuds/phonemicengineer
Summary: “What?” Lup demands immediately.“There’s this guy,” Taako explains quietly, “I mean, he’s more of a golden retriever, actually, and he wants to be my friend, I think, which is bonkers.”Lup looks over her shoulder and spots Magnus glancing around searchingly.“The beefy Adonis over there?” She asks approvingly.“Yes,” Taako whines.Lup whips around and narrows her eyes at him, “You totally want to sleep with him and you know it.”
Relationships: Barry Bluejeans/Lup, Barry Bluejeans/Lup/Taako, Barry Bluejeans/Magnus Burnsides, Barry Bluejeans/Taako, Barry Bluejeans/The Director | Lucretia, Barry Bluejeans/The Director | Lucretia/Lup, Davenport/Merle Highchurch, Kravitz/Lup, Kravitz/Taako (The Adventure Zone), Magnus Burnsides/Lup, Magnus Burnsides/Taako, Merle Highchurch/Taako, Taako/Magnus Burnsides/Lup, The Director | Lucretia/Lup, lucretia/self care
Series: Love It If We Made It (Poly Starblaster) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1626880
Comments: 23
Kudos: 110





	LOVE IT IF WE MADE IT

**YEAR ZERO**

Taako and Lup get separated at orientation. They’re not lost or anything, and Taako burns a spell slot without thinking as soon as they realize that the arbitrary last names they chose when signing up mean they’re in different orientation groups. The locator spell lasts for two hours. It’s fine. 

He’s definitely not thinking about it as he joins his crowd of assigned science enthusiasts to follow on the tour around the facilities. Of course not. 

There’s maybe twenty people in Taako’s group and he sticks to the back where he can barely hear the enthusiastic tour guide telling them all about the cafeteria or whatever. She seems boring and also entirely too much work. 

The group seems to be mostly nerds. They’re all avidly paying attention, some are taking notes, and one has a t-shirt with some dumb periodic table joke on it. One person in the group sticks out though, not only because he’s a head taller than almost everyone else. He’s notable to Taako mostly because he won’t fucking shut up; bouncing around and asking questions and cracking jokes with an absurd disregard for anyone who’s actually trying to _listen_ . Not that Taako gives a shit, of course. The guy reminds him of an excitable dog, and rather than being annoyed the tour guide seems _charmed_ , of all things. 

It’s probably because the guy is also smoking hot. Nice face, a friendly smile, and buff as hell. He seems a little spacey, based purely on the endless chatter, and definitely a jock. Taako wonders what kind of diatribe he’d be subjected to if he asked about the guy’s work out routine. 

The guy quiets down when they reach the lab part of the tour, his prattle replaced with that of their group mate’s wild enthusiasm for the equipment. Taako shoves his hands deep into his pockets and projects nonchalance as loudly as he can. 

“Hey,” says someone who is apparently ignoring Taako’s vibe. It’s the guy. He does look mildly sheepish for getting Taako’s attention, which is something. Not a lot, but something. 

“Hi,” Taako drawls, hoping the guy picks up on how completely uninterested in this conversation Taako is. 

He does not. “I’m Magnus.”

“Cool,” Taako replies sarcastically. It works, or at least Magnus shrinks into himself and stops talking, which was mostly Taako’s goal. His goal was not to feel like he’d just kicked a puppy, though, which is exactly what this feels like. 

Sighing internally and resigning himself to the evil of socializing, Taako says, “Hi, Magnus, I’m Taako. What can I do for you, my dude?”

Magnus perks up again, “Oh, well, it’s just that I’m not a science-y kind of person so I feel sort of out of my depth here? And you don’t look very science-y either, so I thought maybe I could talk to you and not feel like an idiot.”

Taako has his doubts about the feeling like an idiot part but he won’t judge too harshly on appearances alone, “I’m but a simple wizard, my sister is the science one.”

Magnus’ eyes light up, “Hey do you want to get a drink after this or something? You seem cool, I’d love to get to know you better!” 

“Yeah, uh, I’d have to check with my sister to see what she’s doing afterwards but there’s defo a chance, for sure.”

...

A full hour of idle conversation later, Taako doesn’t hate Magnus but he’s not exactly all in either. Lup’s group arrives a little later to the cafeteria and she finds the table he reserved for them quickly, slamming her tray on the table and drawing the attention of everyone in the vicinity with the noise. She’s grinning broadly, obviously way more excited about this whole thing than Taako is. 

“Babe, sweetie pie, heart of my heart, face of my face,” she rambles, practically buzzing with excitement, “Holy shit! _Holy shit_!”

“Holy shit,” Taako agrees mildly, smiling involuntarily in response to her enthusiasm. 

“Did you see the equipment in there?” She exclaims, “This is amazing! And we get our own dorms? Babe. _Babe_.” 

Just then Taako spots Magnus over Lup’s shoulder and he ducks down, wincing. 

“What?” Lup demands immediately. 

“There’s this guy,” Taako explains quietly, “I mean, he’s more of a golden retriever, actually, and he wants to be my friend, I think, which is bonkers.”

Lup looks over her shoulder and spots Magnus glancing around searchingly. 

“The beefy Adonis over there?” She asks approvingly. 

“ _Yes_ ,” Taako whines. 

Lup whips around and narrows her eyes at him, “You totally want to sleep with him and you _know_ it.” 

“I do _not_!”

“Taako. Look me in the eyes. I am your twin sister. Your favorite sister.”

“My only sister,” Taako grumbles. 

“You want to bang that boy like a screen door in a hurricane,” Lup hisses, delight in every syllable. 

Taako pouts at her before eventually admitting, “He asked me out for drinks.”

Lup shoots up in her seat, waving her arm wildly and shouting, “Hey, tall, dark, and handsome! Over here!”

Magnus turns in their direction and smiles broadly when he spots Taako. If he had a tail it would be wagging. 

Taako is not going to sleep with him. 

...

Taako absolutely sleeps with him. 

It’s just as hot as he thought it would be, and sweeter than he was expecting, and Taako tells himself ten minutes into drinks that it won’t happen again. In the morning they go again and Magnus takes him apart slow and thorough. Taako makes them breakfast, doesn’t kiss him goodbye, and leaves without giving Magnus his number. 

It’s the perfect no-strings-attached fuck. Lup high fives him when he gives her the details and he proceeds with fond memories and conviction that it was a one time thing. 

That is until the official Starblaster crew is announced. Lup is over the moon, shouting as soon as they read their names on the list, and Taako is so caught up in her he almost misses it when someone says, “Hey Magnus, congrats!”

Taako doesn’t let himself freeze up but it’s a near thing. Just behind them stands one of the best one-night stands of Taako’s life, just as buff as Taako remembers. 

“Oh, Taako,” he says enthusiastically, “You and Lup are in too?”

Taako has never wanted to disappear more. Lup, purposefully ignoring his pain, shouts, “Hell yeah, bud! Up top!”

He’s getting a new sister as soon as possible. 

  
  


**YEAR ONE**

Lucretia is hot. This is something they all know, or at least Lup hopes they do, and she does her best to make sure that Lucretia knows too. Lup has always been liberal with compliments and endearments, but she zeroes in on Lucretia with a focus she didn’t realize she possessed previously. Taako would make fun of her but he’s still salty about her habit of including Magnus on their translator exhibitions. 

(“It's for protection, brother mine,” she tells him, smiling sweetly, “We wouldn’t want anything to happen to us out there in the wild, now would we?”

Taako rolls his eyes, “Eat my entire ass.”

“Wouldn’t you rather Magnus–“

“I’m an only child. I have no sister. I’m packing my bags and moving away.”)

So the duty of complimenting Lucretia is left to Lup. Like right now, for instance. Lup’s sitting on the couch upside down, her legs thrown over the head of the seat, watching Lucretia painstakingly sketch a plant that their expedition team brought back. The light through the window illuminates Lucretia’s hair, bouncing off the white strands and making it glow. Her face is scrunched in concentration, and Lup finds it incredibly cute. 

“Lucretia, have I ever told you that you’re adorable?”

Lucretia looks up at the address, blinking owlishly a few times before smiling shyly, processing the words. 

“You do. Often.” she says, “It’s...not something I’m used to.”

“Hmm, now that just won’t do,” Lup hums, “I must say you’re a goddess of moonlight and grace, sent to bless us with your presence.”

Lucretia smiles and doesn’t respond, adjusting her glasses self consciously. She’s definitely blushing. 

Lup finds suddenly that she wants to kiss Lucretia very much. 

“Hey, Lucretia,” Lup says carefully, flipping down to sit right side up on the couch and smiling as charmingly as she knows how, “Can I kiss you?”

For the first time since she started working, Lucretia puts her pencil down. 

“I, uh,” and that’s definitely a blush working it’s way down Lucretia’s throat and the visible parts of her chest, “Yes. Yes you may.”

Lup moves forward and leans down, brushing her lips against Lucretia’s softly. It makes her tingle down to her toes. 

“Was that okay?” She whispers. 

Lucretia meets her eyes, “That was. That was definitely okay. I’m sure it could improve with, uh, with further experimentation, though. For science.”

Lup smiles, wide and pleased, “Well, if it’s for science.”

She takes it as a good sign when, a few minutes later, Lucretia pushes her notebook aside in favor of sitting on the desk. 

...

“Hey, Lulu, you coming on the expedition today?”

“Uh, maybe later babe! I’m a little busy?”

“Busy with what? Also, have you seen Lucretia?”

“Yeah we’re...studying. We’ll be out in a bit.”

“...What was that noise.”

“I’m just really _into_ Lucretia’s _book_ , if you know what I’m saying-“ 

“Lup I swear to _Pan_!” 

**YEAR THREE**

“Magnus? You okay buddy?”

Magnus startles out of the daydream he had been stuck in. Well, less of a daydream and more of a brooding spiral. Barry’s genuinely concerned face is a welcome reprieve to his own dour thoughts so Magnus tries to summon a smile, “I’m great, what’s up?”

Barry doesn’t look convinced, “You just seemed kind of down, is all.”

He’s still not really used to people looking out for his well-being, even after the last few years, so it takes Magnus a second to really formulate his response. 

“I’ve just been, I dunno. Thinking about all this stuff,” Magnus admits, sighing, “About this world. I don’t know...I don’t know if we’re going to be able to save them, y’know?”

Barry blinks at him, startled, and Magnus hurries to move past the moment, forcing a self-deprecating laugh, “But what do I know, right? I should leave all the thinking to you book people. It’s fine, I’m fine.”

He stops when Barry puts a hand on his arm, looking serious. 

“You’re not fine,” Barry says, “And that’s okay, Magnus. It’s a lot of shit. It’s okay to not be fine.”

Barry sits down beside him, still kind of loosely holding his arm, and Magnus tries not to let his previous thoughts overwhelm him again. 

“Hey, uh, this might totally be the wrong thing to say,” Barry begins hesitantly, “But sometimes it helps to kind of, get out of your head a little and I could. I mean, I.”

He’s blushing profusely and Magnus smiles patiently, waiting for him to find his words. 

“I could suck you off?” Barry says in a rush, not meeting Magnus’ gaze. 

Magnus’ eyes widen, “Wait, dude, seriously? You would do that?”

“I mean it’s not really a sacrifice or anything. Have you seen you?” Barry huffs, still red in the face. 

Magnus laughs, bright and delighted, “I mean if you want, for sure. Go for it.”

...

The thoughts are totally gone. Magnus is leaning his full weight against the back of the chair, loose and relaxed in a way that he hasn’t been since the Starblaster took off. He grins down at Barry. 

“Well, I can just, go then,” Barry says, his hesitance back all at once. Magnus sits upright suddenly, startling Barry. 

“Dude, you don’t have to leave,” Magnus says earnestly, “Unless you want to but we could talk or I could get you off, whatever you want.”

“Do you, I mean, do you want to?” Barry asks, surprised. 

Magnus cups his face forcefully, squishing his cheeks a little. 

“Barry, you beautiful denim scientist,” Magnus tells him seriously, “It would be my honor to give you a brojob. Also like I totally wouldn’t mind kissing you or something.”

Barry laughs, hindered a little by the face-squishing so Magnus lets him go. 

“Okay, sure,” Barry says, smiling, “To the kissing and the...brojob.”

Magnus grins and leans in to kiss him. 

**YEAR FIVE**

They haven’t talked about it. Taako is past the initial awkwardness, of course, and living with someone for five years on one ship erases certain personal boundaries. But he avoids being alone with Magnus so well that it’s a Fantasy Olympic sport and he’s got several gold medals. Lup teases him mercilessly but it’s been five years and at some point he stops caring about her constant jabs. 

And if he stares at Magnus’ ass in their cramped bathroom a little too much, he’ll just say that it was crowded. 

...

If Magnus had to put a name on it, he’d say that they have sex recreationally. It’s just another activity: sometimes they go on expeditions, sometimes Magnus helps Lup and Taako make dinner, sometimes Magnus and Barry have very nice sex. Like playing cards, but less boring and with more orgasms. 

He knows that Taako knows. He also knows that Taako is avoiding him, probably because of that one time they spent a very enjoyable night together and then Taako left and didn’t talk to him again until the posting of the Starblaster crew. 

Magnus was a little hurt, but not too much. He thinks Taako is fun and interesting and sexy, obviously, but they didn’t sleep together because Magnus thought they were soul mates. It’s just that he has a tendency to be a romantic. But that’s obviously not what Taako wants and that’s fine, he’s _fine_. 

“Hey, Barry,” Magnus says one day, just to be sure, “This is fine, right?”

Barry is chilled out and sweaty and a little sticky but he focuses on Magnus, his eyes as intense as ever, and says, “Hmm? What do you mean?”

Magnus gestures between them, “I mean this. You would tell me if you wanted, like, grand romantic gestures or something, right?”

Barry snorts a laugh, already shaking his head, “You're good. I’m sure you’d be excellent at grand romantic gestures, but I don’t really need them. We’re friends. I like doing this. It doesn’t have to be more than that.”

Relieved that he wasn’t neglecting something, Magnus grins, “I don’t either. You’ll let me know if something changes?”

“Of course.”

...

Lup likes eating her out the best. 

Lucretia is a generally quiet person, a little stoic at times, goofy and sweet when you put in the time to get to know her. But when Lup has her mouth on her Lup makes it her number one goal to make Lucretia scream. She’s never quite gotten there but Lucretia did once moan so loud that Davenport came banging on the door to tell them that some people were trying to sleep. It’s one of Lup’s favorite memories. 

Lucretia steadfastly doesn’t mention it, afterwards, but she doesn’t stop blushing around Davenport for a week. 

...

They’re not a _thing_ thing, not by a long shot. Lup knows that she likes Lucretia’s laugh, and her habit of rambling if you get her going, and the way she sometimes squeezes her thighs around Lup’s ears. 

They’re not a thing. Lucretia kisses her in the mornings and every time it feels like the sun has come out from behind a cloud. They’re not a thing. 

…

“I’m not having feelings about this,” Taako tells the soup he’s making very seriously. The soup produces a bubble that pops at him in disbelief. Taako sticks his tongue out at it. 

“Not having feelings about what?” Merle asks, appearing at the door to the kitchen with a fantasy crossword in his hand. 

“This!” Taako exclaims, waving his hand broadly, “I’m not! You can’t make me!”

“Okay,” Merle agrees, holding up his hands in surrender and slowly backing out of the kitchen. 

Taako glares at the doorway for a bit before turning back to his soup. It bubbles at him again. 

“It was a one night stand,” Taako says firmly, “I’m not having feelings.”

**YEAR SIX**

“This doesn’t mean anything,” Taako gasps between kisses, “This is just. Casual sex.”

“Mmhmm,” Magnus agrees, abandoning Taako’s mouth to suck biting kisses along his neck. 

“I’m serious,” Taako insists, “Just two guys. Casually getting each other off.”

“Whatever you say,” Magnus tells him cheerfully. Then he does something with his mouth that makes Taako’s whole body shudder. Taako stops talking. 

**YEAR SEVEN**

“Yo, Maggie,” Lup says one day when they’re lounging in the living room. She’s holding a book that she’s not really reading and Magnus is making a small origami something or other. She thinks it was, at one point, supposed to be a hat. 

“Wassup?” Magnus asks, not looking up from his task. 

He and Taako have been having sporadic sex for about a year now and Lup wants to prove a point vis a vis the feelings involved and, well. Taako is being a stubborn little shit. Maybe if she has sex with Magnus and very much _doesn’t_ have feelings about it, he’ll be able to see the difference. 

“You any good at eating pussy?”

Magnus pauses and looks thoughtful, actually considering the question. He shrugs after a few moments and looks over at her. 

“I’m pretty okay, I guess. Why?”

Lup grins, setting her book aside, and gestures to herself, “I wouldn’t mind checking for myself. You in the mood?”

...

“So, what’s the verdict?” Magnus asks, raising an eyebrow and smiling at her. The skin around his mouth is wet. She’s going to have beard burn on her thighs for days. 

“Pretty good,” she says breathlessly, “But if you ever want to hone your skills further I would be happy to help.”

**YEAR NINE**

Magnus lets himself be pushed against the wall as Taako grabs two fistfuls of hair and kisses him breathless. 

“Hey, not that I mind but, uh, what’s this about?” Magnus asks guilelessly, pleasantly surprised and mildly confused. 

Taako pulls back to look him in the eyes, “You. I- You died.”

Magnus grimaces at the memory, which feels like only yesterday. 

“I did,” he agrees. 

Taako frowns at him, “Don’t. Don’t do that again.”

Magnus leans forward as much as he’s allowed in order to kiss Taako again, “I’ll do my best.”

...

“I can’t promise, you know.”

“What?”

“That I won’t die. I might. I can’t promise that I won’t.”

“I know.”

“...”

“Hey, Magnus?” 

“Hmm?”

“I think this might be more than a casual thing.”

“I know. It’s okay.”

**YEAR TWELVE**

It starts because Davenport is on a ship full of children and Merle is the only one he can stand sometimes. They play a lot of strategy games, chess mostly, just two older men sharing a silent few hours together. Their house rules become more and more involved as the years go on, evolving to the point that even Lucretia stops trying to keep track. It’s a good relaxer, and Davenport sometimes finds himself looking forward to their nightly appointment just to get himself through the day. 

Today has been particularly stressful, though. This world is full of volcanoes and fire, to the point that going outside is borderline deadly, and everyone is getting a little high strung. A little thin on nerves. 

Davenport, especially, is on edge. He wakes to the sound of Taako exploding the kitchen and the day only goes downhill from there. So when he sits down across from Merle he finds himself making vicious, reckless moves. After his third loss, Merle speaks up. 

“You seem tense,” Merle says bluntly. Davenport bites down on his immediate defensiveness and takes a deep breath instead. Merle is right. 

“You know what I always find calms me down,” Merle begins thoughtfully. 

“For the last time, Merle, I am not going to begin meditating,” Davenport interrupts, impatient. 

“Oh, no,” Merle says, looking surprised, “I meant sex.”

Davenport is stunned into silence. Merle, either not noticing or not caring, continues talking. “I masturbate a lot, mostly, but you’d be amazed how varied the different anatomies are in these planes. I’ve had some very pleasant–“

Davenport finds his voice again, “Merle, are you offering to have sex with me?”

“If you’re interested,” Merle says casually. 

Davenport is, in fact, interested. Much more interested than he would have anticipated, had he imagined this scenario before. As it is, his tension has found a whole new source, that of suddenly being intensely and undeniably aroused. 

“It’s...been a while,” he admits. 

“We all have dry spells,” Merle dismisses easily, not unkindly, “I promise I don’t mind.”

“Then,” Davenport hesitates, the words thick in his mouth, “Yes. I- yes. Please.”

Merle smiles sunnily, practically beaming. “Well then, Captain, I believe you have a perfectly usable bed right over there.”

...

Their in-house rules now feature a rather intricate version of strip chess, which they employ eagerly and often. Davenport finds it makes his crewmates a little easier to deal with. 

**YEAR FIFTEEN**

“I’m sorry what?”

Lup smiles patiently, “I said, what if I fuck Magnus while he’s fucking you?”

Taako looks mildly scandalized, which is cute. “Lup, incest is not on the list of kinks I’m interested in pursuing.”

She waves his words away, unconcerned, “This isn’t incest, this is. Showing your boyfriend a good time and getting off while doing it.”

“And, I’m sorry, how are you doing the fucking again?” Taako asks, leaning forward. She’s got him intrigued, at least. 

Lup rolls her eyes, “With my magic fantasy strap on, of course, what is this, amateur hour? It’ll be great, ‘Ko!”

“Ugh, I can’t believe I’m actually considering this,” Taako groans. He turns slightly, “Magnus, what do you think of this?”

Magnus gives them two slightly flustered thumbs up. 

...

It’s great, of course. Magnus is basically incoherent by the end, which was entirely Lup’s plan, and Taako is way more into it that he thought he would be, which was also part of her plan. 

“We’re totally doing this again, right?” She asks, smiling over Magnus’s sleeping form to catch sight of Taako. 

He rolls his eyes. They’re totally doing this again. 

**YEAR NINETEEN**

“Barry, can I ask a favor?” 

Lucretia stands in the doorway of his room, nervously tapping her fingers against one of the journals she’s always carrying. Barry sets down his pen and turns to face her. 

“Sure, Lucretia, how can I help you?” He asks, smiling in what he hopes is a friendly and inviting way. 

She takes a deep breath, like she’s trying to center herself. 

“I’m trying to...figure some things out,” she says carefully, “And you seemed like the safest person to ask.”

Barry nods encouragingly, “Whatever you need. What’s the question?”

Lucretia takes a step into the room and then stops, her back rigidly straight. 

“May I,” she says slowly, “Kiss you?”

The question throws Barry momentarily and it takes him a second to formulate a response. Lucretia remains anxiously attentive the whole time. 

“Sure,” he says eventually, “I mean. Yes.”

Lucretia moves forward with purpose and then stops before him. She reaches out to cup his face but aborts the action, unsure. Finally she says, more to herself than to him, “Okay.”

She kisses him lightly, barely there, and pulls back almost immediately. 

“You alright?” He asks, keeping his body as still and non threatening as possible. 

Lucretia purses her lips in thought, then with determination says, “Yes. May I try that again?”

“Yeah, go for it.”

She kisses him with more surety this time, pressing forward a little bit, her hand hovering uncertainly above his arm. She pulls back after a moment, but she looks more confident than before. 

“You can touch me, if you like,” she tells him, then she leans forward to kiss him again. 

...

“Is this okay?” Barry asks, rubbing his thumb against the inside of her upper thigh. She’s climbed up to straddle him on the chair, holding onto the back of it for leverage. He has one hand on one of her breasts, his thumb lightly brushing against her nipple. 

Lucretia exhales shakily, her hips rolling forward as he moves to trace the borders of her underwear. 

“Yeah,” She says, leaning forward to rest her forehead against his. Her breath fogs his glasses. “Go for it.”

He pushes her underwear aside. 

...

“So what was this about?” He asks later, when they’re both relaxed against his bed. Lucretia is using his arm as a pillow. 

“I’m trying to figure out if I’m into,” Lucretia pauses before saying with some reluctance, “Men.”

Barry laughs at the look on her face, running his free hand through her hair to soften the blow. She smiles ruefully along with him. 

“Well, I hope I was of assistance,” he tells her, fond amusement still playing around the edges of his face, “And I’m happy to listen if you ever need a friend.”

Lucretia ducks her head, clearly embarrassed, but she mumbles a soft, “Thanks, Barry,” against his chest. 

**YEAR TWENTY ONE**

Taako would be lying if he said he doesn’t see what Lup and Magnus find attractive about Barry. He’s a handsome dude, and to be honest the dad bod really works for him. Not to mention that he’s just a genuinely nice person, which has never been a real draw for Taako, but is something that he is coming to appreciate. He really likes Barry, which is a bit hard to process at times. 

Also apparently Barry is completely DTF all the time, a fact which Taako is only aware of through general ship gossip. 

So on day three of Barry’s swim lessons, and day three of Taako watching Barry get soaking wet while wearing the very tight swim trunks Lup made him as mostly not a joke, Taako decides to make his move. 

“So, Barry,” Taako says while they’re lounging on the sand, luxuriating in the heat of the afternoon sun. 

“Hmm?” Barry hums, lifting at the end in question. Taako is about to continue but Barry chooses that moment to look over at him, hair loose and tousled from the waves, his face flushed with sun, his eyes heavy lidded with the soothing lethargy of a morning spent exercising. Taako feels himself flush in response, and maybe he really _really_ likes Barry. 

“What’s up?” Barry asks sleepily, obviously noticing Taako’s abrupt silence. 

“I, uh,” Taako says eloquently, trying to find his thoughts again. He doesn’t get a chance. Instead Barry rolls over to prop himself on his side, leaning over Taako slightly. Taako can feel the heat of his body through the proximity. 

“Hey,” Barry says, still in that slow, sort of groggy way, “Wanna make out?”

All Taako can manage is a breathless, “Yeah, sounds good.”

...

Taako gets sand literally everywhere. Every crevice. It’s absurd. 

“We’ll keep working on it tomorrow!” Barry tells him cheerfully as they head back to the Starblaster for dinner. 

“Cool, for sure,” Taako agrees hoarsely. 

**YEAR THIRTY THREE**

The years without Merle are hard, harder than any of them expected. Somehow the absence of his cheerful and irreverent disposition makes them all a little less kind, a little easier to rile up. Lucretia finds herself speaking up in his place, trying to keep them all together. She kisses Lup a little softer, holds Magnus’ hand a little tighter, tries to smooth the edges when they begin bumping into one another. It’s taxing. 

Once, she manages to get Merle alone before he rushes off to parlay with the Hunger. She kisses him. Urgently at first, then slowly, sadly. It does nothing for her–she accepted some years ago that no physical relationship with a man would be ideal for her–but she is filled with a craving to be close to him. To hold him tight before he marches off to his death once more. 

“Hey, Lucretia, it’s alright,” Merle says softly. It’s only then that she realizes she’s crying. 

“I don’t want to lose you again,” she whispers, the words knocked loose by her tears, “We need you.”

Merle strokes her hair soothingly and Lucretia wonders, not for the first time, if he was a father, back on their long-destroyed world. He cups her cheek with the other hand, rubbing at her tears with his thumb. 

“I have to go, sweetheart,” he tells her, “I have to do my part to try and stop this. You’ll be alright. You’ll make it through.”

“What if we don’t?” Lucretia asks. She means for it to be a demand but it comes out a plea, weakened by fear. 

“You will,” Merle assures her firmly, “Just remember. Above all, kindness.”

**YEAR THIRTY EIGHT**

“Hey Barold,” Taako says, flinging himself into one of the available seats, “Wanna have sex?”

Barry pauses what he was doing, “Can I finish my cereal first?”

Taako waves his hands dismissively, though Barry has known him long enough to recognize it as agitation. “Sure, yeah, whatever floats your fantasy metaphor boat, we’ve got all the time in the world!”

Barry sets his spoon down and resigns himself to never finishing his cereal, “Taako, are you okay?”

“Perfectly fine,” Taako assures him, smiling beatifically, “I would just like some good, old-fashioned blue jeansing right now.”

There’s something not quite right about this. “Is this about Lup?”

Taako makes a face, “Can’t I just want a boning from my favorite denim wizard pal?”

“Sure,” Barry admits slowly, unconvinced, “But I don’t think that’s what this is about.” 

“Barry,” Taako says earnestly, leaning forward on the table, “I really want to have sex with you right now, and only partially because I want to prove a point to my sister.”

They stare at each other while Barry thinks, sticking another spoonful of cereal in his mouth petulantly. 

“Okay,” he says, holding up a hand to stop Taako’s excited movement to stand, “But I’m finishing my snack, and this better not come back to bite me in the ass.”

Taako grins, “With any luck, I’ll be the only thing biting you in the–“

“Taako, I swear to Pan.”

...

“Where were you yesterday?” Lup asks the next morning, flipping her pancakes idly. They smell like chocolate and the weird sort-of pumpkin fruit that is native to this world. Taako steals one off the plate and gets a spatula slap in retaliation. 

“Doing some research,” Taako replies, stuffing pancake into his mouth. 

Barry enters the kitchen just then in boxers and a t-shirt, looking mostly asleep. There’s a hickey visible above the collar of his shirt. Taako knows that Lup notices. 

“Hey, Barry,” Taako says casually, gesturing his direction with the pancake, “Thanks for the help yesterday.”

He’s rewarded with a confused stare and a grunt from Barry, who wanders off with a mug of coffee. 

“What were you guys researching?” Lup asks, eyeing him suspiciously. 

“You know, stuff,” Taako shrugs, “But it took a while. We ended up staying up pretty late.”

“This isn’t a thing, Taako, I'm not having feelings,” Lup insists, not very convincingly. 

Taako decides that he’s made his point, “Sure, of course not, looks like your pancakes are burning, see you later, Lu!” 

**YEAR FORTY EIGHT**

They have a lot of sex. 

“I can’t believe we never did this before,” Lup tells him, mildly awestruck, “I have slept with so many people and in almost fifty years we never did this!”

“Babe,” Barry says sleepily, “It’s nearly morning. Can we just rest?”

“No, Barold!” Lup exclaims, “You’ve had more sex with my brother than you’ve had with me! I am very good at sex!”

“So I’ve heard,” Barry says placatingly, giving up on sleeping for now. 

“From who?” Lup asks suspiciously, narrowing her eyes at him. 

Barry gives her a look that clearly conveys how unimpressed he is, “You and Lucretia aren’t quiet. Also I’m friends with her. And Magnus. And Taako.”

Lup makes a face, “Taako thinks I’m good at sex?”

“Taako called you, and this is a quote, the hornier twin.”

Lup rocks back, hand pressed to her breast in exaggerated offense, “I am not the hornier twin! He slept with Magnus the night of orientation! Anyway horniness doesn’t equate to skill.”

“Are you starting a fake argument so that I’ll be awake enough to have sex again?” Barry asks, raising his eyebrows. Lup pauses her dramatics to wiggle her eyebrows suggestively. 

“Is it working?” She asks, grinning. 

Barry pauses momentarily before saying “Nope.” and tackling the elf, pinning her with an arm across her chest and a leg over her thighs while she shouts loudly about cheating. 

“Go to sleep, love,” he tells her, pressing his nose to her shoulder and thinking wistfully of sleep. 

Lup continues to protest while Barry slowly drifts off again. 

**YEAR FIFTY ONE**

Once Merle stops regularly dying in parlay, everyone is excited to have him back. The year of the Conservatory involves way more cuddling than Taako is willing to admit, and they spend the next few cycles being regularly grateful for Merle’s presence. 

The shine starts to wear off when Merle begins using parlay to have ordinary conversations, abruptly pulling whichever crew member he chooses away from whatever they were doing. Taako burns a lot of food. Lucretia doesn’t say anything, but she can occasionally be found muttering to herself while scribbling angrily in a journal. Barry transfigures all of his science equipment into a bouncy material that doesn’t shatter on impact. They adapt to their favorite dwarf’s most annoying power. 

Fortunately, there are occasional perks. So when Taako is suddenly pulled away from receiving a very boring lecture from Davenport and into a boardroom he’s becoming increasingly familiar with, he doesn’t complain too much. 

“You must be wondering why I’ve called you here,” Merle says ominously, turning his chair to face Taako. His chair, as it happens, is a brightly colored swivel stool with lumbar support. 

“Sure, yeah,” Taako replies, amused, “What’s the sitch, old man?”

Merle’s serious facade evaporates as he leans forward and whines, “You’ve had sex with everyone on this ship except me!”

“That is just, wildly untrue,” Taako protests, holding up his hands in surrender. Merle ignores him. 

“Is it something I said? Do I smell bad?” Merle continues. He stands up to pace and Taako notices abruptly that the dwarf is entirely nude. 

“Merle, stop,” Taako says, covering his face with one hand, “I will have sex with you if it bothers you that much.”

“I don’t want pity sex!” Merle exclaims indignantly. Taako is deeply grateful that they’re in parlay and no one can actually hear this conversation. 

“Merle, you’re old enough to be my dad,” Taako says, attempting to find a reasonable solution to this situation. 

“Your an elf,” Merle shoots back, “You’re hundreds of years old!”

Taako pauses and considers. He imagines an elegant settee and one appears for him to collapse onto dramatically. He thinks about the irate Davenport waiting for him outside of this dimension. 

“Okay,” Taako points at the chessboard habitually sitting in the center of the table, “Beat me at chess and I’ll sleep with you.”

...

“You had _sex_ with _Merle_!” Lup shrieks, startling several birds into flight. Taako watches them fly away and tries not to die of embarrassment. 

“I forgot about the house rules,” Taako mutters petulantly. He collapses backwards into the grass and stubbornly doesn’t cover his face. 

“You _had sex_ with-“ 

“I forgot about the house rules!”

Lup leans over him gleefully, “Which house rule did you forget about?”

Taako pouts. He has the worst sister. 

“Strip chess,” he says sulkily. 

Lup falls over, cackling madly. Absolutely the worst. 

**YEAR SIXTY SIX**

“What’s going on here?” Lucretia asks, staring at the nearly empty dining room. Devoid of crew mates, perhaps, but piled full of all kinds of food. Lucretia pokes thoughtfully at a giant marshmallow shaped like a duck. 

“Surprise!” Lup shouts, muffled by the mountain of food between her and Lucretia. She unearths herself from behind a truly enormous pile of pancakes. There’s powdered sugar in her hair and chocolate striped charmingly across her chin. 

“Surprise for what?” Lucretia asks. She looks mildly amused at best, still with the lines of sadness around her mouth and eyes that haven’t disappeared fully since they got back. Even in her sleep Lucretia looks pained. 

Lup adds extra watts to her smile, “For your birthday, obviously!”

Lucretia’s expression freezes in shocked confusion. She had completely forgotten, though Lup remembering isn’t unusual. The twins have always held on to special events like birthdays and holidays with an iron grip. They joke that it’s to have an excuse to show off their cooking and decorating skills. She suspects the reason has more to do with establishing routine in their otherwise chaotic lives.

But no birthday has ever been this extravagant, or this devoid of people.

“Oh. Thank you,” Lucretia says stiltedly, smiling woodenly, “Where’s everyone else?”

Lup straightens, crossing her arms and adopting a demeanor more serious than Lucretia would have expected for the situation.

“They’re safe,” Lup says firmly, “And we’ll see them later today. But for right now, they’re going to stay out of sight so that you can relax, instead of watching their every move.”

Lucretia winces, guilt flooding her gut. She doesn’t notice Lup’s approach, jumping slightly when she finds the elf standing so close. 

“Can I touch you?” Lup asks softly and, after a second, Lucretia nods. 

Lup’s hands are warm on her face, tilting it so that their eyes meet. 

“We’re not mad, sweetheart, and you haven’t done anything wrong,” Lup tells her, “We’re worried. And you won’t talk to us, and you won’t calm down on your own, so today you and I are going to make that happen. We are going to have a great fucking day. Then we’ll come back here and eat the dinner Taako is making and you’ll have all of us in one room. Sound okay?”

“Yes,” Lucretia whispers, tears threatening to spill over onto Lup’s hands. The longer Lup’s warmth seeps into her skin the more a knot of pain she hadn’t known how to get rid of loosens. 

Lup smiles brightly, darting forward to peck her on the lips, before lowering her hands to grab Lucretia’s own. 

“Wonderful! Now. You’ve heard of breakfast in bed, but are you ready for breakfast in _bath_."

**YEAR EIGHTY ONE**

“Listen,” Taako gasps, “Not that I’m complaining, but is there a reason for this?”

Lup rolls her eyes, “Does there need to be a reason? Curl your fingers, he likes that.”

Barry whines, high and keening. Taako knew he liked that, _naturally_ , but he’s a little winded right now, so. Point for Lup. 

“Why don’t you–“ Lup begins but Taako cuts her off with, “Lup, darling, let the master work.” Barry arches almost completely off the bed and Lup makes a breathy ‘oh’ sound. Taako can’t stop the smug grin from spreading across his face as Lup goes to mark a tally under his name on the fantasy white board they have set up.

“You- you really don’t have to,” Barry pants, “Make _everything_ a competition.”

“Of course we do,” The twins respond in unison. Lup leans over the bed to plant a kiss on Barry’s lips and mutter, “How are you doing, love?”

“Still green,” Barry says breathlessly, “Thanks for–hah–checking in.”

“I just mean, usually you have, I don’t know, _machinations_ when you come up with things like this,” Taako continues. He sits back on his heels to try and catch his breath. Lup trails a hand down Barry’s chest, carding her fingers through his chest hair. 

“No machinations,” she smiles, “We’re just going to give Barry the best day ever. Now budge over, I have a point to earn.”

**YEAR EIGHTY FOUR**

“I could bang Davenport, if I wanted,” Lup says out of nowhere, prompting Taako to choke on the prototype lemonade they’ve been developing from the citrus-like fruit on this planet. None of the planets they’ve visited have had lemons that taste exactly like the ones on their home planet, an oddity that has frustrated the crew to no end. Sometimes you just want good old fashioned lemonade. Sometimes you don’t want to think about your sister having sex with your captain.

“Why the fuck would you say that to me,” Taako demands, wiping proto-lemonade from his chin.

Lup points one skeletal finger at him, her expressionless face somehow conveying accusation, “You had sex with Merle. Don’t think I forgot.”

Early in the cycle, the Starblaster came under attack from a giant bird that sequestered the light of creation in its nest. Lup and Barry offered to lead the expedition to retrieve it, and Lup had come back sans body. The citizens of this planet flat out refuse to tolerate her presence, so Lup has spent the majority of the remaining time pestering the Starblaster crew while steadily going out of her skull with boredom. 

That’s not an excuse for the mental images she has now cursed Taako with.

He narrows his eyes, “Okay, I’ll bite. Why would you bang Davenport.”

Lup snorts, “The challenge, obviously. We all know he’s capable–two words: strip chess–but have you ever _caught_ them at it? No. Too crafty.”

Taako adds another scoop of sugar to the proto-lemonade, “So? Maybe he’s just really into stealthy monogamy.”

“But Merle sleeps with all kinds of weird things on the planets we visit,” Lup counters, leaning on the table, “It’s part of his weird hippie religion.”

“It’s _not_ ,” Taako protests, caught off guard, “He’s just a horny old dude!”

“And we’re a couple of horny young dudes,” Lup presses. He can hear the smile in her voice. “And I want to know how our dear captain really _handles_ the _helm_.”

Taako cackles, delighted despite himself, “Find out how he _steers_ your _rudder_?”

“Help me _ride_ the _waves_.”

“Let him _navigate_ your _channel_."

“See how he _explores_ the _deep_.”

Several minutes later finds the two of them howling with breathless laughter that only increases when Davenport sticks his head into the room to say, sternly, “Would you two pipe down? I have a ship to sail.”

**YEAR NINETY NINE**

Lup gets quiet before she disappears. 

Barry doesn’t know what’s going to happen, of course, and for years afterwards will berate himself for somehow not catching the signs. All he knows at the time is that Lup is distancing herself, drawing far into her shell. It aches and, later, he will feel her absence like a missing limb. 

He’ll miss all of them. Looking back on those years, Barry won’t know how he survived. 

But before, before everything happens, before his world falls apart, Lup retreats into herself. 

They all notice, all concerned in their own ways, but Barry and Taako take particular note. Magnus tries challenging her to more sparring than usual. Merle leaves her increasingly ridiculous gifts that he tries to pass off with nonchalance. Davenport says she’ll come to them when she’s ready. Lucretia is so preoccupied with whatever she’s working on that Barry doesn’t see her enough to know if she’s worried. 

So it’s with happiness that feels overwhelmingly like relief that Barry finds Lucretia and Lup in bed one night, wrapped around each other. Lup seems to be dozing, her eyes still puffy from crying, her head cradled in the crook of Lucretia’s neck and shoulder. Lucretia is running her fingers through Lup’s hair with one hand, the other holding a book that she doesn’t seem to be really reading. 

“Hey Barrold,” Lup croaks, squinting open one eye at him as he stands in the doorway. Her voice is hoarse, “You gonna join or just admire the view?”

Barry smiles at her, the soft one that he can’t stop from coming through, and goes to sit on her other side. She doesn’t move from her position, but flops her hand at him until he holds it. Lucretia meets his eyes over Lup’s head, sharing a quiet moment of amused affection. She looks tired, more wan and drawn than the last time he saw her. There are dark circles under her eyes. 

“Long time no see,” he says to her, attempting to cover his blatant concern with a smile. She winces, so he thinks he wasn’t entirely successful. 

“I know,” she whispers, “I’ve just been...busy.” 

She doesn’t elaborate and Barry doesn’t push. Lup squeezes his hand, though, and he thinks she’s probably just as worried. 

“Actually,” Lucretia says after a moment, “Now that you’re here I should get back to work–“

Lup balls her fist in Lucretia’s shirt, her other hand vice-like in Barry’s. 

“Stay. Please.” Lup gives Lucretia her best puppy eyes, the ones that are most effective because they’re completely unintentional. Her emotion rough voice is steady, but Barry can feel the tremor in her hand. 

Lucretia sends a pleading look at Barry, who shakes his head. 

“We miss you,” he says softly, “Please stay.”

Lucretia’s voice is so soft he almost doesn’t hear her quiet, “Okay.”

They fall asleep wrapped around each other. Lup maneuvers Lucretia into the center, hooking a leg over Lucretia as though to keep her in place. Barry does his best to hold on to both of them, feeling, somehow, like if he doesn’t they’ll slip away. 

In the morning Lucretia is gone, Lup curled into the empty space, her hand searching for the warmth Lucretia took with her when she left. Barry pulls Lup closer and she immediately burrows into his chest. He tries not to think about empty spaces. He doesn’t fall back asleep. 

**YEAR ONE HUNDRED THIRTEEN**

“So,” Taako examines his nails with faux indifference, “Magnus got married.”

“What!” Lup screeches, jolting forward in her seat. She’s mostly constrained by Barry and Taako, who are desperately clinging to her and almost haven’t let go since The Day of Story and Song. She still manages to lean forward enough to express her shock, even if her flat skull face doesn’t convey emotion. 

Magnus’ shoulder’s go up, defensive, and he points at Merle accusingly, “So did Merle! He has kids!”

“You have kids?” Barry asks incredulously at the same time that Lup lets out a second, even louder, “WHAT?!”

“Taako basically adopted a little nuisance!” Merle shoots back, flailing his hand in Taako’s direction. 

“Oh, yeah, we met Angus,” Barry says calmly at the same time that Lup shouts, “Do not distract from your personal life, Merle Highchurch! Kids!”

“Taako is not allowed to adopt Angus,” Davenport says a little too loudly, and he looks surprised at the volume of his own voice. He’s been doing that, lately, and Lucretia keeps jumping when she hears his voice. Davenport and Lucretia are sitting on opposite sides of the circle, pointedly not looking at each other. Merle, who is sitting next to Davenport, keeps worriedly glancing between them, concern clear even if he hasn’t said anything. 

They’re all cracked in a few more places than before. Taako tightens his hand on Lup’s arm and takes a deep breath. They’re going to have to figure out how to fit around each other again. 

“I believe I technically have legal guardianship of Angus,” Lucretia says softly. 

She’s sitting apart, back straight and hands clenched in her lap, alone in a high back chair distanced slightly from the rest of the group. To any Bureau members, the scene would look perfectly natural. But the Starblaster crew knows differently. 

She hadn’t asked to sit with anyone and they hadn’t offered. 

Taako knows, deep down, that he’ll probably forgive her. It feels inevitable. Like somehow, after a hundred years, they’re built too deep into each other for him not to forgive her. Merle clearly has, with the same ease that he forgave their greatest enemy, or Kravitz. Lup and Magnus have neutrally refrained from interfering, even if Taako can tell they want to. 

He knows that he will forgive her. But she took away his sister. She took Davenport’s voice. She took Barry’s _life_. She took that from all of them. She took the only permanent thing in all of their impermanence. 

“Well, that’s fine,” Magnus says, his humor a little too sharp, “Lucretia’s the only adult here other than Cap’nport anyway.” 

“Don’t think I’ve forgotten about your marriage,” Lup points one skeletal finger at Magnus, “We are going to have a talk, young man.”

Magnus and Lup launch into an argument that Taako barely listens to, allowing the familiar cadence of their voices to wash over him. The two of them and Merle keep up a steady stream of chatter, catching Lup up on what she’s missed. Davenport and Barry chime in occasionally, and Taako only speaks up when he feels a sarcastic comment needs to be made. 

Lup’s skeletal hand finds his, twining their fingers, and Taako is so immensely glad she’s here with them again. 

The conversation breaks up after dinner, most of them heading in separate directions. The Bureau dorms are acting as temporary housing for the Starblaster crew, along with some of the people who helped avert the apocalypse. It’s weird to see Lucas casually walking around, weirder still to see Sloane and Hurley, or Merle’s kids. 

Magnus seems to be heading towards the dorms himself, and Taako squeezes Lup’s hand briefly before jogging to catch up with him. 

“Hey, Maggie,” Taako calls, aiming for casual and missing by a mile, “Wait up.”

Magnus waits for him, polite curiosity his only expression. They’ve been avoiding each other since they got their memories back and Taako resolutely ignores any and all hurt Magnus’ closed off face causes. 

“Listen,” Taako begins, floundering now that he has the attention he asked for, “About Julia. I, uh. I don’t want to- I mean, I know she was important. To you. And I’m sorry I never got to meet her. And I have a, a Kravitz, now and he. I haven’t talked to him about. You know.” Taako waves his hand vaguely to encompass both of them and their shared history, or at least he hopes that’s what it encompasses. 

Magnus reaches out to put his hands on Taako’s shoulders and Taako jumps with the contact. Magnus leans in, his face a few inches away from Taako’s own, and Taako shivers at the proximity. It feels like they’ve done this a thousand times, they _have_ done this a thousand times, and yet they are so far removed from the people they were when it happened. 

“I think,” Magnus breathes, “I’ll need some time.”

“We’ve got time,” Taako replies reflexively, the truth of it settling heavily on his shoulders. If there’s one thing they’ve always had, it’s time. 

Magnus smiles, brilliantly, the one that’s like a thousand suns, before darting forward to press a kiss to Taako’s forehead. He leans back before Taako has time to react, still smiling. 

“I’d like to meet your Kravitz,” Magnus says, “Again, I mean. When I’m not trapped under a mirror playing a card game for the lives of some ghosts after he definitely tried to kill us.”

Taako groans, covering his face with one hand, “Please don’t remind me of the time you _ate_ my relic and we had to magic it out of you.”

Magnus winks, “No promises. Have a good night, Taako.”

Taako leans up to kiss Magnus on the cheek, “Good night, Magnus.”

...

“Your face is going to stick if you keep frowning like that.”

Davenport looks up to find Merle waiting for him, standing patiently by the door to Davenport’s room. His new room, anyway. He hasn’t been able to step into the old one. Not yet. 

“Breakfast is ready,” Merle adds, stepping in. 

“I know,” Davenport sighs, leaning back on his bed. 

“Are you going to join us?” Merle asks, “Magnus will eat everything if you don’t come fend him off.”

Davenport smiles, more from muscle memory than actual amusement. Habitual affection tempered by yawning emptiness. 

“Magnus is an adult, now. He can learn to portion control on his own.”

Merle scoffs, “Well that’s definitely not true. One hundred and thirty years old and he still hasn’t learned how to not be a dumbass.”

“Thirty two,” Davenport corrects reflexively. 

“Hmm?”

“Magnus is one hundred thirty two years old.” 

“Well damn,” Merle plops down on the bed next to him, “Maybe I’m the dumbass.”

That makes Davenport crack a real smile, possibly the first since defeating the Hunger. Merle always has a knack for finding him when he feels most alone and dragging him out of it. 

Even before he remembered who Merle was, when he had nothing left but his name, Merle found him. 

“I think I love you,” Davenport says softly, the words out before he can stop them. Thirteen years with no words and suddenly he can’t remember how to control them. 

Merle pats him on the shoulder, “I love you too, buddy. I was serious about breakfast, though. If we move fast there might still be something left.”

“No, Merle,” Davenport turns with a frustrated huff, “I _love_ you.” 

They stare at each other for a second, Davenport in silent expectation and Merle with an expression that Davenport doesn’t know how to read. One hundred and thirteen years, some of those lost. They know each other. They know each other and Davenport knows patience. He can wait. 

“I love you too, you big nerd,” Merle says finally, smiling, “You would not believe the ridiculous shit I have gotten into without you.”

Davenport laughs, relief and delight flooding him in equal measure. He leans forward and Merle meets him halfway. It feels like coming home. 

“Now move your ass,” Merle says when they pull away, grabbing Davenport’s hand to drag him off the bed, “Magnus will finish off the pancakes first because he’s an _asshole_.”

After years of waiting, he’s home. 

**LATER**

“You know, a hundred years and we’ve never had sex.”

“We’re both gay, Taako,” Lucretia says, not looking up from her paperwork, “Also I was your boss for a while, which would have made it completely inappropriate workplace behavior.”

“You let Magnus give you a Candelnights present,” Taako points out. 

“And I regretted it immediately,” Lucretia agrees, “Much like this conversation.”

“Can we please talk about why we’re here,” Barry says, muffled by the hand he has blocking his face. 

“Why are you here?” Lucretia asks, finally setting down her quill to look at the two of them. 

“We’re here to forcibly invite you to dinner,” Taako says casually. 

“We’re here to invite you to dinner,” Barry corrects, “And to escort you when you inevitably refuse.”

Lucretia bites her lip, glancing from them to her desk, which is messier than usual. Officially registering the BOB seems to be taking more work than any of them could have predicted. 

“I really shouldn’t-“ she begins, only to be cut off by Taako standing and announcing, “Alright, Barrold, you get the arms, I’ll get the legs.”

“You are not carrying me to dinner,” Lucretia protests indignantly. 

“Well, inviting you doesn’t work,” Barry, who hasn’t stood, says reasonably, “We’re running out of options.”

Lucretia frowns, “I’ve been busy.”

“Lu, we _forgive_ you,” Taako exclaims exasperatedly. 

The room freezes, Lucretia in wide eyed shock, Barry in concerned apprehension. 

“I don’t-“ Lucretia stutters. 

“We forgive you,” Taako repeats, dropping into his chair again, “This part’s over, Lu. We’re not totally done, that’s going to take a lot of time and probably a lot of talking about feelings and stuff, but this part is finished. You need to be there for us to keep moving on. We need you, Lucretia.”

“I-“ Lucretia draws herself short. Her breathing is harsh in the quiet room. 

“Come to dinner, Lucretia. Please,” Barry says softly. 

They wait a moment but finally, Lucretia nods. 

“Alright,” she says. And then, quieter, “Thank you.” 

**EPILOGUE (YEAR ONE HUNDRED FOURTEEN)**

Lup still isn’t completely used to having a body. It’s the little things that trip her up, like eating and sleeping and kissing her loved ones. She forgets, sometimes, things like the volume of her voice or the passage of time. She shudders from touch as much as she craves it. Barry handles the whole thing with grace and unending, fathomless love. Her family is there to catch her when she falls. She’s getting better, day by day. 

Elves don’t sleep, but she often finds herself unable to meditate while Barry and Lucretia snore beside her. Surrendering to insomnia, she’ll watch them sleep and let their breathing lull her into a kind of calm, or else walk the perimeter of their home, with only the sound of her own feet on hard floor to keep her company. 

Today, extricating herself from the bed is an extra difficult task. Everyone came over for Barry’s birthday, and Lup’s bed is piled with almost all of her family. Carey and Kilian are in the guest room, and Angus is curled up on a couch in the living room that Taako transfigured into a bed, but the remaining six fit themselves onto their admittedly large mattress, wound around each other in familiar shapes. 

With a little wiggling and maneuvering and a fantasy Indiana Jones switch of a pillow for her leg that Magnus had previously been holding, she’s free. The night air chills her skin as she pads out of the bedroom and into the greater house, illuminated by moonlight. 

There’s a light on in the kitchen. When she draws closer Lup can see that it’s Kravitz, clutching a mug and staring thoughtfully into the distance. There’s a kettle sitting on the stove that wasn’t there when they went to bed. 

“You alright there, Krav?” Lup asks as she approaches. Kravitz starts, jumping a little, but he doesn’t look displeased to see her. 

“I, uh,” Kravitz clears his throat anxiously, “Pardon me, I was simply. Tea?”

He gestures with his mug as he says the last word. Lup restrains the urge to laugh because she likes Kravitz. 

“I’ll make my own, thanks Skeleman,” Lup tells him cheerfully, “Would you like a fresh pour?”

Kravitz nods mutely. A quick whip of flame sets the kettle steaming again, a maneuver she would never try in front of Lucretia. Lucretia believes that the time it takes the pot to boil is essential to the integrity of the tea. 

She settles next to Kravitz with her own mug, leaning on the bar and giving him some space. She can feel the questions he’s not asking vibrating in the air. She waits. 

“Lup, I have to ask,” he says, carefully, “Your whole crew. You seem...quite close.”

“A hundred years locked together on the same ship will do that to you,” she agrees. 

Kravitz clears his throat, clearly flustered, “What I mean to say is, I don’t totally understand the full dynamic of your relationships.”

Lup considers this before replying, “We don’t necessarily hand out brochures when we meet new people, sure. Have you talked to Taako about it?”

Kravitz chews his lip, unsure. There are dark bags beneath his eyes and his hair is slightly mussed in the back. Lup finds it unfair that he still manages to be outrageously pretty. 

“Taako is...not always the most forthright of people,” he says eventually, “And sometimes he forgets to explain things that aren’t always clear to others.”

Lup sips at her tea, nodding in agreement and encouragement for Kravitz to keep talking. 

“I guess my question is,” Kravitz bites his lip again, clearly deliberating, before saying, “Do you all sleep together?”

“Tonight is sort of a special occasion,” Lup says mildly, “Normally we all sleep in our own houses.”

She’s rewarded with a flat look from Kravitz, unamused, and she has to hide her smile behind the rim of her mug. 

“Do you all have sex with each other?” Kravitz huffs, blunt in the face of her deliberate misunderstanding. 

Lup makes an exaggerated surprised face, “Oh! You should have said that from the beginning, bone dude! But also hell yes, we do. Or we did, in the past, and have been figuring it out again in the present. And based on the scrunchy face you’re making, Taako has failed to clue you in.”

“It became self-evident,” Kravitz says delicately, “But no, Taako did not explain.”

He looks uncomfortable, though with the topic or what it means, Lup isn’t sure. Kravitz is a good dude and he’s saved her ass a few times now, not to mention that Taako is obviously head over heels for the guy. They co-own cats for fucks sake. 

“Listen, buddy,” Lup sighs, “We’re all pretty wrapped up in each other. But we’re still trying to figure out how we fit together after...after everything. If Taako being pretty in love with us, whatever that means, is a deal breaker for you? That’s something you’ll have to talk to him about.”

Kravitz makes a face, a sharp breath of frustration leaving him, before he meets her eyes, determined. 

“And if that’s not a deal breaker for me?” He asks. 

Lup sets her mug down, the soft clink of the ceramic on the counter loud in the dark kitchen. She leans forward slowly, telegraphing her intent as loudly as she can, giving Kravitz enough time to pull away if he chooses. He stares at her, still brightly determined, unmoving. 

His lips are soft and sort of cold and he tastes like earl grey and the remnants of garlic from dinner. He doesn’t close his eyes. 

Lup smiles when she pulls back. 

“Well, that’s something you’ll have to talk to all of us about.”

**Author's Note:**

> This fic brought to you by my friend who enabled me by saying "well they had to have all slept together at some point, right?" 
> 
> The exchange in year eighty four inspired by the part in the Dragon Age 2 where Isabela just lists innuendos for a while.


End file.
